Convention center formally lighted up

The Cebu International Convention Center was formally lighted up last night signifying the Cebuanos' hope and unity with the rest of the world.

In her speech, Governor Gwendolyn Garcia said: "We are faced with a challenge, when a common dream possesses us, when we see the path to our shared destiny, Cebuanos can come together and work together, to give the best of what we have, and then some more."

Thousands of Mandauehanons, mostly students, joined with Capitol officials as well as the mayors of the province's 47 municipalities during the event that highlighted fireworks displays and festival dancing.

"Tonight, we light up this magnificent structure, to show the world that Cebu is ready for the 12th ASEAN Summit," said the jubilant Garcia.

Mandaue City Mayor Thadeo Ouano, in his speech, said that CICC is a symbol of Cebuanos' strong determination to excel and deliver what is expected of them.

The Mandaue City government finally issued yesterday a building permit to the Capitol for the CICC.

Building Permit 1561-A was issued several months after Capitol went full force in the construction of the CICC, the venue for next week's 12th Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit.

Ambassador Marciano Paynor, the secretary general of the summit's national organizing committee and the concurrent chairman of the Cebu Organizing Committee (COC), and Governor Gwendolyn Garcia said there was nothing to worry about the CICC construction sans building permit.

Garcia is Paynor's co-chairperson in the COC.

Paynor, in an interview after the press briefing held at the plenary hall of the CICC yesterday morning, said the absence of a building permit for the CICC is not an issue as it would not affect the holding of the summit.

Paynor nevertheless urged the Mandaue City, particularly its Office of the Building Official, to fast track the processing of the building permit as well as the certificate of occupancy.

Meanwhile, Garcia said while Cebu Daily News (CDN) ran a story yesterday that CICC has no building permit, the newspaper also has no certificate of occupancy for its new building at the North Reclamation Area.

Capitol consultant Pablo John Garcia said that if they were to follow the "high and very strict standards of CDN", Capitol too should be accorded eight months within which they would secure the certificate of occupancy for CICC.

CDN was only issued with certificate of occupancy by the Office of the Building Official of Cebu City last November 30, eight months after it inaugurated its new office building last March.

Records from the OBO-Cebu City showed that CDN was issued with "final" certificate of occupancy with Code Number OZ-2006-742 last November 30 and building permit with Code Number BO1-2005-500810 on November 23, 2005.

Garcia expressed surprised that while OBO-Cebu City has confirmed to CICC project architect Manuel Guanzon that CDN has yet to be issued with a certificate of occupancy as of yesterday morning, the information had changed in the afternoon.

"Something strange must have happened between 10 in the morning to two in the afternoon that CDN was able to cover track. I don't know if it's just a coincidence that Cebu City Hall public information officer Nagiel Bañacia used to work with CDN," Pablo John said.

Bañacia had worked as a CDN reporter before Mayor Tomas Osmeña tapped him as City Hall's public information officer.

"It pays to have special friends in special places," Pablo John said.

He added that CICC is a joint undertaking between the Capitol and Mandaue City government, which had approved the construction of the project even in the absence of such permit.

But even so, Pablo John said Capitol still sees to it that all pertinent documents in relation to the CICC construction are in order. He added that the Provincial Engineering Office has long submitted all the required documents for the building permit and certificate of occupancy for the CICC. - Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon and Cristina C. Birondo/LPM